A blog about navigating the realities, struggles, and frustrations of life while unemployed—with a positive outlook. Opinion commentary pieces on unemployment and hiring plus informative articles & tips on life learning, career, well-being.

Worn Out? Get Rid of the Taking a Break Guilt

But you feel you can’t stop. You’ve heard you must always take action.

Push Harder.

Strive Harder.

Hustle Harder.

Work Harder.

The Need for a Break

You haven’t yet learned the importance of stopping. Taking a break from the tasks at hand. Considering your overall well-being.

But I have – the hard way.

I know how it feels to be stretched too far by refusing to stop pushing when overworked and overwhelmed. By no means is this healthy.

Ponder my example.

If you’ve been reading this blog, then you know I’m challenged by the job search. It’s been a struggle to find a job.

I’ve been looking for a long time and haven’t landed one job offer. I’ve dealt with rejection as both an applicant and interviewee.

I haven’t been able to fully solve this job search problem. But, I’ve been on it and doing everything I could to improve.

So much so, I didn’t stop to care for me like I should at one point. I didn’t consider the benefits of scaling back – health wise.

Instead, I kept working at it constantly – even when I was tired and needed a break. I hadn’t yet learned the following also applies to the job search: when engaged in something for a lengthy period, you need a break – or you’ll burn out.

The Downside of Not Taking the Break You Need

Then something happened.

I submitted a resume with an error. Something major. I’d double checked it prior to submission but didn’t notice the mistake soon enough to make the necessary correction.

This wasn’t good. My resume quality slipped through the cracks.

You already know what happened, right? I went to the rejection pile.

I knew it was coming too.

At this point, I realized I was overwhelmed by the job search but hadn’t yet stepped away or created a balance. The work associated with job searching became a real problem in my life, however.

I was on overload – working from a place of exhaustion and frustration. I put too much full-time pressure on myself.

I knew I needed to shut down my job hunt a little bit but felt rushed to get a job. I was focused on getting at least 1 yes – offer wise – to quickly move past unemployment and the job search.

I was so focused on what I wanted; I wasn’t stopping and listening to the whispers informing me I was wrongly handling my job search.

Rather, I was listening to the voice whispering:

You’re a job seeker, so you can’t rest.

And . . .

You don’t have time to waste so hustle harder if you want something to happen. You have a goal to achieve: getting a job now.

And . . .

You can’t be lazy.

So, I went all out. I have no problem with putting in work and brought this same work ethic to the job search.

The thing is:

I never adhered to the promptings of me needing to stop and take care of myself. I never considered the matters of my well-being – even when striving to achieve a goal.

Why did I allow myself to go so far without disconnecting? I thought I must keep going until I have the desired result in hand. Guilt was an issue.

Take the Break You Need

Worn Out? Get Rid of the Taking a Break Guilt. Unsplash Original Photo Courtesy of Sander Smeekes. Edited by Me.

When I received the rejection letter from the company to which I submitted the resume referenced above, I knew I needed to change things. I needed to take a break from job search consumption.

From there, I started focusing on my well-being. I realized I had to take this break thing seriously and set boundaries.

This is why you see me advising you not to neglect your well-being. Advising you to designate time to stop and breathe daily. Advising you to balance your life and job search.

You know you’re limited, right? As a human, your willpower and strength can only take you so far.

Without rejuvenation, you reach a point of burnout. Your well-being breaks down – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually – and you become exhausted, burdened, and frustrated.

Are You in Need of a Break and Recharging?

If you’re in need of recharging, I encourage you to be kind to yourself and check out. Please don’t learn the hard way like I did.

Upon knowing what I know now, I’m acting on it.

So, today, I’m tired and need a break from everything related to the job search. I need a mental break from it all.

And guess what?

I’ll take this break. I won’t force myself to act and do any of this today.

I’ll remain productive this day – believe me. Just won’t be engaged in those activities.

At one point, I wouldn’t have ever done this. Why? I would’ve been afraid of missing out on opportunities.

Previously, I blogged about how I burned myself out by a prolonged job search – always looking and not wanting to miss out on anything. I forced myself to keep working toward my goal of employment – even running on empty.

It wasn’t my best decision.

Not anymore, however.

I know when I need to take a break from various things in my life – including the job search. I’ve gotten better at stopping instead of going full speed.

Will You Take Some Time to Recharge?

Worn Out? Get Rid of the Taking a Break Guilt.Original Photo Courtesy of SkitterPhoto. Edited by Me.

So, to you:

Your goal or problem might be something other than job searching. You might be overwhelmed by some other aspect of this life transition, but please know nothing’s wrong with stepping away from it for a while.

Avoid burnout with a break.

It doesn’t have to be a full day, either.

15 minutes.

1 hour.

2 hours.

You know what your needs are.

Just do it!

Enjoy something relaxing – a book, a walk, a blog post, a time out with family, or a moment in silence with God. Whatever is realistic for you!

Breathe. Rest for a while. Eat. Reflect. Feel better.

Then, start again.

From Me to You: If you’re engaged in something taking up a lot of your attention, it’s ok to take a much-needed break.

Don’t keep going when you should stop. Stop!

Here’s to Happy Breaking!

P. S. Are you in need of a break? If so, will you step away and check out for a while? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

I know Liz Ryan at the Human Workplace (and a popular LinkedIn Influencer) recommends a 25-hour job search: 5 hours a day with weekends and major holidays off and breaking those 5 hours into different tasks. You can use the rest of the 3 or more hours you might have used for traditional work for something more fun like a project (like you suggest). I get burned out mentally fairly easily and all the job advice out there pushes the “no fun until you get a job!” mantra. I’ve learned you have to find your own pace to productively find work and keep your spirit up or else you’re lost. Goodness knows I’ve sent a few cover letters and resumes with errors I’ve later found due to my “rush to get a job” mentality.

Thank you for providing a positive blog about such a hard subject. I’m honestly surprised you are not making a living with your writing. 🙂

I looked more into Liz Ryan’s recommended 25-hour job search you referenced. Thanks for mentioning it in your comment. I didn’t know about it. It’s certainly better than the well-known “40-hour/week job search.”

You’ve learned something I wished I’d learned at the beginning of my job search: we must find the best pace for us to productively find a job while also keeping our spirits up. As noted above, I definitely had the “rush to get a job” mentality at one point, and it didn’t help me at all.

I know better now. I’m glad you know too!

Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I hope the blog has proven beneficial to you.